Is Marjorie Taylor Greene Really Going Grinch?
Seems seasonal
Last weekend, Donald Trump banished once-devoted MAGA cultist Marjorie Taylor Greene from his depraved court. It was quite the scene. Trump called Greene a “raving lunatic” in a raving, lunatic social media post of his own. He whined that all she did now was “complain” and refused to acknowledge that the U.S. economy’s firing on all five lights. Trump offered his support for a potential primary opponent against Greene in 2026, thus ending her undistinguished political career.
A distraught Greene posted that “President Trump just attacked me and lied about me.” She’s had to up her personal security due to threats against her, but Trump obviously doesn’t care. The guy watched TV and ate cheeseburgers while his first vice president was under siege at the Capitol. All you need to know about Donald Trump’s record of loyalty is that he’s had two vice presidents and three wives. Even Bill Clinton managed to just have one of each.
Greene was one of Trump’s closest allies. She was like Luca Brasi but scarier and less articulate. So, it was only a matter of time before he’d betray her. Trump betrays people so often, it’s probably hard to keep track, but he seems to think Greene feels betrayed because he told her she was a loser who’d never win next years’ Georgia Senate race against Jon Ossoff on account of polls showing how much of a loser she is.
Many skeptical liberals find themselves agreeing with Trump that Greene’s personal ambition is her sole motivation for defying Trump. Even if that’s true — and I can’t read her mind, nor would I want to drown in that mental quicksand — I confess I don’t care. What’s more important is that Trump is down one sycophant, and while they seem to grow like weeds in this White House, it’s still overtly a positive for democracy when MAGA’s fighting amongst each other. Noted philosopher Wilson Fisk once said the secret to power is “to pit your enemies one against the other — remaining all the while untouched.”
I should stress that Greene and Lauren Boebert, both members of the QAnon class of 2020, have resisted Trump’s pressure campaign regarding the upcoming vote to release the Epstein files. They even achieved what Democrats couldn’t, thanks to the Senate’s Chamberlain Eight: Trump has conceded defeat, suddenly “ordering” the House GOP to vote to the release the files he’s tried so hard to bury. We should expect more perfidy ahead but for now, let’s savor Trump’s humiliation.
Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin seized on the schism between Trump and Greene when he said at an event, “We are a big tent. We must be a huge, vast tent. I say this is a party that’s got room for Marjorie Taylor Greene if she wants to come over.”
Raskin’s remarks sparked fury among many online liberals who haven’t studied the Art of War or even read a Daredevil comic. Journalist Walter Bragman declared, “The ‘big tent’ thing was always a transparent rebuke of the growing power of the left inside the Democratic Party.”
Someone on Threads went off on a weird grievance tangent:
So let me get this straight… they couldn’t even endorse Zohran, but MTG walks in with full support and not a single question?
And folks keep saying the Democratic Party has a “big tent” so she should be welcomed?
Somebody help me understand, because the math ain’t mathing.
Most Democrats supported New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani — that’s how he won the election. This includes Jamie Raskin, who openly endorsed and defended Mamdani when Trump tried to install his own puppet as mayor. New York’s Democratic leaders were shamefully reticent but they aren’t exactly embracing Greene, either. I have a lengthy record of criticizing Democrats who distanced themselves from their party’s rightful nominee, but I do appreciate that they believed Mamdani might prove a political anchor. They were wrong and cowardly. However, Democrats tactically siding with Greene against Trump is a political slam dunk, especially when it comes to Jeffrey Epstein, the one scandal Trump seemingly can’t shake.
Here’s how Chris Allen, a Texas Democrat whose bio claims he offers “nuanced sociopolitical views from a classical and modern liberal lens,” responded to Raskin’s “big tent” statement:
Marjorie Le Pen doesn’t have a place in the Democratic Party. Not now, not ever.
She is still an opportunistic, right-wing piece of shit who, on an appearance on State of the Union, argued that CNN should have Nick Fuentes on their network under the guise of free speech.
Her revenge tour that has led to some sort of reappraisal in some corners makes me question the judgment of any mother fucker who’s entertaining her supposed change of heart.
Apparently, “Marjorie Le Pen” was the extent of Allen’s “nuance” here. Raskin is probably appealing to voters like Greene, who might’ve once supported Democrats or could be persuaded to do so in the future. I think too many liberals are under the mistaken impression that everyone who voted for Bill Clinton or even Barack Obama qualified for a deluxe suite in Heaven. Greene is an ignorant bigot, but I’d rather have her fighting Trump than us. This doesn’t mean she’s on my Christmas card list.
I agree with
that Greene probably has actual sincere beliefs. They’re mostly evil, but she’s not like Marco Rubio or JD Vance, who don’t believe in anything. They only crave power, no matter the cost — to us, I should clarify; they’re not paying shit. I appreciate my friend ’s take that Greene is simply a rat fleeing a sinking ship. Thus, her recent appearance on The View and Sunday’s State of the Union interview are attempts to soften her appearance so that she can run for Senate, despite the naysayers, or even the presidency. Supposed frontrunner Vance is an obvious paper tiger that no one with true ambition would truly fear in a 2028 primary. Greene is a blonde white woman, so America is inclined to embrace her so long as she can avoid speaking in tongues
When discussing Trump’s attacks against Greene, CNN’s Dana Bash correctly pointed out that this is what Trump does all the time, and Greene is only speaking out now that she’s the target.
“I think that’s fair criticism,” Greene replied. “And I would like to say, humbly, I’m sorry for taking part in the toxic politics.” We’ve never seen Vance or even Rubio apologize for anything. Greene could easily play the victim while also feigning amnesia about the personal attacks she’s directed at others. That’s what Trump, Vance, and Mike Johnson have all done after Charlie Kirk’s murder. If Greene thinks contrition makes her more electable in Georgia or the nation itself, that’s actually good news.
Even though Greene still palls arounds with Nazis like Nick Fuentes, she’s spoken out more against Trump lately than actual Democrat (for now) John Fetterman. Maybe she was visited by three spirits or that annoying Whoville song got to her. I wouldn’t mind terribly if she were like the “good” Dalek on Doctor Who that directs all its hatred onto other Daleks instead of everyone else.
Yes, Greene has said and done horrible things, but it’s not ideal if the pious liberal position is that she’s wholly irredeemable. I might think Greene is, but successful coalition building demands public belief in redemption arcs.
Consider that MAGA welcomed former Democrats Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard without hesitation. Both Kennedy Jr. and Gabbard ran for president against Trump and were openly critical of him. Kennedy Jr. once backed abortion rights but anti-abortion groups didn’t lobby against his nomination to lead the government’s health agencies.
Democrats love to bring up that Marco Rubio dismissed Trump as a “con man” and JD Vance even compared him to Hitler. The MAGA faithful mostly shrug, which makes them appear more forward-looking and forgiving of past transgressions than Democrats. (Obviously, this isn’t entirely true, considering how Trump purged from political life anyone who opposed his coup attempt.) However, it’s safe to say that MAGA will warmly embrace John Fetterman to the fold if he switched parties, despite his previous support for Bernie Sanders or how he mocked Trump’s election lies in 2020. Some Democrats struggle to forgive actual Democrats who they believe were insufficiently supportive of Joe Biden.
There was a revealing exchange on what was once Twitter when gun safety activist Fred Guttenberg wrote, “I want to offer [Greene] grace. I will take her at her at her word, and I would also hope to engage her further on decency and civility in our politics.” Activist April Reign responded with the certainty of true ignorance, “It’s mighty easy to offer someone grace when you haven’t been directly impacted by what they’ve done. But thank you for making it clear that you can’t be trusted either. I’m going to ‘take her at her word’ from 6 mos ago when she wasn’t scrambling for her job & Trump’s support.”
Guttenberg’s daughter was murdered in the Parkland school shooting, which Greene has suggested was a “false flag” operation. That seems like he’s been “directly impacted” by what Greene’s done. However, his actual goal is to move forward and pass legislation that would prevent future shootings. She could prove a critical “yes” vote on a bill while still remaining otherwise awful. I haven’t listened to enough Christmas songs yet to fully believe that Greene is willing to change, but I do think what some liberal cynics fear most is that Greene could change. Not just Greene but anyone from a “bad” group that fuels their own burning resentment.
I’m perplexed by whatever her angle is—it’s not just Epstein, she also publicly broke with her party on health care funding. I don’t buy the “she’s preparing for a post Trump future” because the post Trump GOP isn’t going to be into health care funding. So who knows what she’s up to.
I do know that right now everything she is saying undermines GOP messaging and reminds everyone how quickly Trump turns on his most loyal allies, so good for her. And liberals should remember that no one is literally trying to recruit her into the party or change our legislative priorities for her, so we can hold off on the “how dare you open our tent which is so big we control none of the government and a minority of states” purity shit. It’s not a good look, not because we hope to convert MAGAs like Greene to liberalism but because there are a lot of people more moderate or on the cusp who we shouldn’t be sending the message “no one new is welcome here, you cannot redeem yourself, wow I’m so proud of my liberal bona fides I wrenched my shoulder patting myself on the back.”
We could just say we agree with the things she says that benefit our side. Republicans happily do this when the shoe is on the other foot. We don’t need to freak out about putting her in charge of the DNC.
If MTG is anti-Trump in any way, I'm good with it. I support, for example, The Bulwark, though I'd probably disagree with 90 percent of their actual policy positions, due to their anti-Trump, pro-democracy stance. JVL thinks Reagan was the best President in his lifetime. Even not leading to Trump, Reagan destroyed the middle-class and implemented our oligarchy with his supply-side economics, tax cuts for the wealthy, and union-busting. Consequently, except for Trump, Reagan is the worst President of my lifetime. And, given the choice, I'll always vote or support the most progressive candidate. But I welcome any cracks in the Trump monarchy.